


Fate

by bibliomaniac



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gift Fic, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8831473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bibliomaniac/pseuds/bibliomaniac
Summary: Viktor didn't realize that he had met his soulmate until it was too late and Yuuri had already left for Detroit. He missed him once, so when Yuuri skates his routine, he knows he can't pass up the opportunity to reconnect with the person fate has destined to be with him.There's only one problem. Yuuri doesn't know that Viktor is his soulmate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Genderfluid_V_Nikiforov](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genderfluid_V_Nikiforov/gifts).



> genderfluid_v_nikiforov won my fanwork giveaway on Tumblr and requested a soulmate fic (with the variant where a mark appears when they touch you) so this is it! i love soulmate fics (obviously if you've read any of my works from other fandoms lol...) so i was very pleased and i may have gone a bit overboard lol...
> 
> using the 'k' instead of 'c' in 'victor' is weird i'm not used to it =v= i figured i'd go with what's in my giftee's username tho!

Viktor doesn’t notice the mark until the next morning, when he’s taking a shower before he has to head to the airport. It’s small, unobtrusive, just a gold circle with a square cut out in the middle, and it takes him a moment to recognize that it’s a medal like the one he’s just won. It takes him an even longer moment to realize what the mark that’s appeared on his hip means.

He met his soulmate last night at the banquet.

And there was only one person there he touched that he hasn’t touched before. Katsuki Yuuri. Katsuki Yuuri, the extremely drunk, extremely attractive Japanese figure skater who danced with him all night, then asked him to be his coach. Katsuki Yuuri, who had been dragged off by his coach after a long night, slurring something about an early flight.

His sleep-addled brain processes this, then he yelps and hurries out of the shower. He has to catch Yuuri before he leaves. He stumbles into his room, dressing as quickly as he can while texting Chris, “WHERE IS CUTE DRUNK GUY’S ROOM? NEED TO KNOW, URGENT”

Chris has always been a quick responder and an early riser, so he gets a response within a minute. “Lol early morning booty call? He was in 1103”

Victor starts to run out the door, but Chris isn’t done.

“He left about an hour ago, though. Looks like you just missed him”

Victor freezes in the doorway, staring at his phone with wild eyes, then sinking down onto the floor, thumb stroking over his hip like the mark can bring him comfort somehow.

No. He’s waited too long for this. Surely fate wouldn’t bring him his destined one only to take him away? He’ll meet Yuuri again. He has to.

But as the months drag on, Viktor starts to lose hope. He doesn’t have Yuuri’s contact information or any way to get it—seriously, what skater doesn’t have SNS, these days?!—and after a series of crushing defeats at various competitions, Yuuri seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Viktor starts to wonder if his soulmate even really wants him. Viktor is a lot easier to get a hold of, after all; his contact information is sort of a badly-kept secret, the sort of thing you could get your hands on with a well-placed connection or maybe a particularly thorough Google search. Maybe Yuuri is ashamed, maybe he’s disappointed? 

So he falls into despair, and he begins to think that fate maybe is crueler than he had first thought.

\----------------------------

As it happens, Yuuri is neither ashamed nor disappointed. He was just really drunk.

Yuuri, too, fails to notice the mark until his shower, which takes place at a time when no person should be awake, really. He’s grateful to Phichit for sending the text that woke him up, because he doesn’t know what he did last night, but apparently setting an alarm was not high on his list of priorities.

Head pounding, he groans and makes his way to the shower. He strips and turns on the shower, which is way more complicated than it needs to be, thanks, and stares dully down at the floor while he waits for the water to heat up. 

It’s not until he washes his hip that he finds the small gold mark, and when he does, he yelps and falls over, hitting the wall on the way down.

Seriously, what did he _do_ last night?

Slamming his head against the shower wall does very little to help his hangover, but he manages to finish his shower, staring in horror at the mark the entire time.

He met his soulmate and he doesn’t even remember it. He met his soulmate, and he was too busy getting drunk to notice, and now he’s lost any chance he might have had to figure out who fate decided to stick with a loser like him.

His life _sucks_.

His defeat at the Grand Prix Final, in addition to the whole soulmate thing, make it difficult to concentrate on his competitions, and he flubs them miserably as a result. And so it is that Yuuri makes his way back to Hasetsu with an uncertain future and no soulmate.

Yuuri has always known that fate was too cruel to allow him any kind of permanent happiness, so really, this is just more of the same.

\------------------------------

Viktor has been keeping up with Yuuri’s fanpages out of some kind of masochistic desire to torture himself with what he can’t have, but they’re floundering too without any new content. He’s surprised, therefore, when all of them notify him at the same time: a new video has been uploaded, and it’s pretty popular, too.

He clicks on it. His eyes widen when he sees the familiar opening pose. There’s no music, but he’d know that routine anywhere, because it’s the one he’s been skating this past season. And Yuuri is good, executing almost all of the moves flawlessly, though he skips a few of the harder jumps. He looks into the camera, skating _his_ routine, and it’s almost unbearably intimate. It’s like his eyes are saying, Viktor, why haven’t you found me yet? I’ve been waiting for you, I’ve been waiting for you to come to my side and stay by me.

Well. How could he refuse such an invitation? A quick go on Google Translate informs him that the video was filmed at a rink called Ice Castle Hasetsu, and Google reveals to him also that there’s only one remaining functional hot spring inn in the vicinity.

He books a plane ticket immediately. 

His arrival at Yuuri’s family inn is a bit anti-climactic, honestly. Yuuri is, his mother tells him in somewhat broken English, not awake, and does he want to pass the time in the hot spring? It is quite cold, not that that’s ever really bothered him, so he acquiesces. Plus, he’s always been one for theatrics, and if he doesn’t have his clothes on his mark will be on full display, and Yuuri will come jumping into the hot spring and press his mark against Victor’s and, well, who knows what will happen next, with both of them very wet and very naked and—

He’s torn from his reverie by the most beautiful voice he’s ever heard.

“Viktor Nikiforov? What are you doing here?”


	2. Chapter 2

It’s Yuuri, looking incredibly confused. Viktor frowns internally. What an odd question. Maybe he didn’t expect him to actually come?

He stands. “Starting today, I’m your coach,” he announces, because the other reason is pretty obvious, he thinks. “I’m going to take you to the Grand Prix Finals, and you’re going to win.”

Yuuri blinks at him, then promptly faints. 

Well. So much for the getting naked bit. Viktor hops out of the hot spring, checking for injuries—he appears to be fine, good—and, biting his lip, lifts up Yuuri’s shirt to check for the mark as well. Just to make sure it’s really there, that he’s not making all this up. Sure enough, a gold medal glints peacefully back at him from Yuuri’s rounded hip. Sighing in relief, he tucks Yuuri’s shirt back down and drags him out to the communal area.

Yuuri’s mom tilts her head at him and asks mildly, “Clothes?” Viktor isn’t really a huge clothes fan, generally speaking, but it is probably the decent thing to do, so he accepts her offer of a green wrap shirt and short pants. They’re comfortable anyway, so. 

He gets tired waiting for Yuuri to wake up, so he lays down and rests his eyes. He’s not asleep, not exactly, especially considering Yuuri has woken up and is having a loud conversation in Japanese with someone who just entered the room. That’s quite enough of that, he decides. He gets up, artfully displaying a bare shoulder, and says, “I’m hungry.”

(Not just for food, if he’s being honest, but.)

Yuuri gets flustered surprisingly easily sober, Viktor notices. He waves his hands around, asking, “What would you like to eat?” It’s cute, but the difference from the suave, incredibly bold drunk Yuuri is staggering.

“As your…” Viktor hesitates. Soul bonds are quite personal in Japanese culture, he’s read, and he doesn’t know if Yuuri has told his friend yet. He goes with the safe route. Yuuri will understand what he means. “Coach, I want to know what your favorite food is.”

Yuuri nods, then calls out in Japanese to someone. A bit later, Yuuri’s mom appears with a tray of food.

“It’s our house specialty, the…” Yuuri appears to be searching for a correct English translation. “Pork cutlet bowl? Yes.”

Viktor tries a bite, and he can immediately tell why Yuuri likes it. It’s delicious. He says as much, and Yuuri smiles bashfully, relaying the message to his mother, who beams and prances away. 

The next exchange isn’t exactly optimal, but it’s necessary if Viktor is going to coach Yuuri. He’s actually quite adorable with the extra weight, but it’s dangerous for competitive skating. He tells Yuuri that he’s going to have to drop the weight and get down to where he was at the Grand Prix Final. “I’ll know when you are,” he says with a wink, because, well. Obviously. “Until then, no more pork cutlet bowls, okay?”

They move his luggage to what is apparently an unused banquet room (Viktor snorts at that), and then it’s time to get down to business, now that they’re alone. “Yuuri,” Viktor purrs in his most seductive voice, “Tell me everything about you.” He kneels and puts his hand on Yuuri’s chin, nearly sighing at the warmth of Yuuri’s skin. It’s exquisite. “What kind of rink do you skate at? What’s in this city?” He takes Yuuri’s hand. “Let’s build some trust in our relationship.”

Yuuri makes a strangled noise, then scrambles away backwards.

Viktor frowns, hurt. “What? Why are you running away?”

“Uh. No reason,” Yuuri says, voice cracking in a way that makes it clear that there very much is a reason. Then he escapes to his room.

Viktor stares at his retreating form. He doesn’t get it. Is he being shy? Is he that repulsed by Viktor’s touch? Seriously, what’s going on?

\-------------------------

Yuuri is wondering much the same thing as Viktor pounds on his door, asking—of all things!—if they can sleep together. Sleep together! Like they’re soulmates or something, or even friends!

“There’s so much I need to learn about you,” Viktor says petulantly from outside his door.

About him? About dull, drab, completely unexciting Katsuki Yuuri? He screams “No!” as Viktor keeps pounding on his door, calling his name. 

Blanching, he realizes that all of his Viktor posters are still up on his walls and takes them down. He sighs, looking at them, then down at his soulmate mark. He still has no idea who it was. He doesn’t even know what the mark is. Like a coin, maybe?

Eventually the knocking on his door stops, and footsteps sound away from his door. He turns his lights off and gets ready for bed, but he’s not able to get to sleep. He’s too busy thinking about his missing soulmate, and Viktor.

Fate may be cruel, but if it’s given him Viktor, maybe it’s not so bad after all.

The next morning, Viktor seems sort of subdued, his eyes red. But he still gets him up to run after his rented bicycle. Viktor prohibits him from getting on the ice until he gets his weight down, but he allows him to watch his own practice. 

Yuuri has practice of his own to do, anyway. He runs, does ballet with Minako, and goes to the gym. When he’s not doing that, Viktor is watching over him asking weird questions about whether he has any lovers, present or past—he seems to be happy that Yuuri answers in the negative, which is weird—and getting depressed when Yuuri asks him to stop asking, which is even weirder. Yuuri doesn’t get him. He’s treating Yuuri like someone worth something, which is the weirdest thing of all. 

Yuuri has never been worth anything to anyone, not really, not in a way that counts. And of all the people to treat him like he matters, it’s world-famous skating legend Viktor Nikiforov? He can’t wrap his mind around it. 

He keeps following him around, too, and dragging him to famous Hasetsu locations. It’s almost like it’s painful for him to be away from Yuuri, which is ridiculous. Yuuri doesn’t know how to respond to all of the attention. 

So Viktor keeps trying to get closer, and Yuuri keeps him at arms’ length, and things don’t change until Yuri Plisetsky comes to Japan. Then everything changes, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually was going to post this all in one lump which is why there's another chapter so quickly but then i decided to post them separately so. shrug
> 
> they're both silly boys


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FOUR CHAPTERS NOW BECAUSE I HAVE NO SELF-CONTROL DARNIT

Yuuri’s anxiety keeps him on his toes. He’d like to think he’s prepared for pretty much everything. Natural disasters, career disaster, humiliation—there’s not many scenarios he hasn’t thought over, agonized over, until he has a working plan.

That said, he’s not at all prepared for the flying kick to his back. 

He goes tumbling into the building and slams up against the information desk. He stays in that position for a few moments, blinking, trying to process how exactly he got there.

“This is all your fault!” someone yells in a harsh Russian accent, and as he flops backward to see who it is, the someone steps on his face. Which, okay. That’s just rude.

Which makes sense, now that he looks up at them, because it’s Yuri Plisetsky, and he’s never been known for his good manners.

“Yuri Plisetsky? What are you—”

“I’m here to bring Viktor back to Russia,” Yuri snarls. “And you’re not going to stop me.”

Yuuri blinks some more, then gets up, frowning. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re a coward.”

Yuuri’s eyes narrow, then he smirks. “All right. Try and take him, then.” He doesn’t know why Viktor is here, but he chose him, and Yuuri isn’t going to let that go without a fight.

Yuri draws back slightly, lips pressed together. “I will.” Then he storms into the rink, yelling, “Viktor!”

Yuuri follows him. Viktor seems just as surprised that Yuri is here, which is somewhat of a relief—means he didn’t call him for a quick rescue, or anything. 

“Yuri? What’s with that face?” Viktor pauses, then scratches his chin. “That looks like a you-forgot-something face.”

Yuri’s eyes bug out. “Seriously?! You remember—this—” He gestures at Yuuri disgustedly— “But not that you promised to choreograph my senior debut?”

Yuuri tilts his head. Remembers him? Like the picture thing? He’d never mentioned it. 

“Oh. That does sound like something I’d say.” Viktor laughs lightly. “Oops.”

Yuri looks furious. “You did say it, and you’re going to come back to Russia and follow through!”

Viktor pauses, peeking at Yuuri. “Oh. Hm. Well…you see…that’s sort of, um…”

“A competition!” somebody pipes up from the doorway. It’s one of the triplets.

“Yes, a competition to see who keeps Viktor!”

“It’s perfect!” another enthuses. “The audience will love it!”

Viktor looks at Yuuri with an odd look on his face. “Well…”

“Yeah. Let’s do it!” Yuri says, nodding. “I’ll definitely win.”

“…Okay,” Yuuri says. “I’m in too, then.”

When he looks at Viktor, he looks almost heartbroken. “I…I’m going to...We’ll work out the details later, okay?” Then he heads in the direction of the changing room.

“What?! Stop running away!” Yuri roars, following after him.

Yuuri doesn’t understand what’s going on, but that seems to be par for the course these days.

\------------------------------

Viktor can’t believe it. Yuuri didn’t even give a token protest when the triplets proposed a contest that would separate them again. He bites his lip and sinks down onto the bench in front of his locker.

He’s been trying so hard. He’s done everything he can think of, tried every way he can imagine to get closer to Yuuri, but Yuuri doesn’t seem to want him at all, not as a soulmate, anyway. Is it even worth it to keep trying? Maybe he should just go back to Russia with Yuri after all. Maybe—

“What the crap is up with you?” Yuri asks from behind him. “You look like someone kicked Makkachin.”

Viktor sighs. “You remember last year at the banquet?”

Yuri scowls. “Unfortunately.”

“I woke up the next day with my soulmark.”

Yuri’s nothing if not perceptive. He exhales slowly. “The pig is your soulmate.”

“Don’t call him that,” Viktor says with a frown. 

“So that’s why you’re here,” Yuri says, ignoring him. “Why didn’t he say anything?” 

“I don’t know.” Viktor runs his hands through his hair. “He’s a really private person, but I don’t think that’s it. I think…I think he might regret asking me to come here. I think he might regret _me_.”

Yuri is silent for a moment. Finally, he says, “Have you asked him?”

“Huh?”

“Have you asked him how he feels? We don’t need to have a whole competition if he doesn’t want you here in the first place.”

Viktor winces. “I haven’t—exactly, well—”

Yuri glares. “You’re ridiculous.” Then he storms out of the changing room, yelling, “Hey, pig!”

“Wait!” Viktor rushes after him. “Yuri, stop!”

“If you don’t want Viktor, let us both know now. It’ll be much easier.” 

Viktor hides behind a corner, unsure if he can handle Yuuri’s answer.

He’s surprised, then, when Yuuri yells, “Of course I want him!”

His eyes widen. 

“Of course I do,” Yuuri repeats, quieter. “I know I don’t deserve him. I know I don’t deserve him as my coach or as…anything else. But I want him to stay anyway.” Yuuri gulps audibly, then says, “So that’s why I’m going to win the competition! To prove to myself and to him that I was worth coming all the way out here.”

There’s a pause, then Yuri says, “See? Ridiculous. You can stop hiding now.”

It’s at that point that Viktor comes out, smiling sheepishly. Yuuri immediately goes beet red. 

“I didn’t know you felt that way,” Viktor coos. “You should have told me earlier.”

“O-o-o-oh, um, well—”

“No.” Viktor beams. “I’m glad.”

Then he walks forward and hugs Yuuri. For once, Yuuri doesn’t push him away. In fact, Viktor could swear he almost melts into the touch.

“All right,” Viktor decides, pulling away. “We’ll do the competition. I have two routines I was working on that I can adapt for you both. I’ll expect you both to be at your best.”

They both nod, Yuuri straightening, still pink in the cheeks.

“What do I get when I win?” Yuri asks. Yuuri purses his lips, irritated. 

“Winner gets to ask something of me,” Viktor says calmly. “I’ll do my best to concede, within reason.”

“I want Viktor to come back with me to Russia and become my coach,” Yuri proclaims. 

“Yuuri?” Viktor asks, curiously.

Yuuri hesitates, then whispers, “I just want you to stay with me.”

Viktor inhales sharply, then smiles, face soft. “I’ll look forward to your skating, then.”

They both ignore Yuri gagging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they are all ridiculous children

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! <3 im anuninterestingperson on tumblr and u should also check out my giftee genderfluid-viktornikiforov! they're cool :)


End file.
